Unreal... Here we are, trailing the rim of the decade glass, ready to dive in and swim... Hard to believe we made it this far (at least I'm not writing 1977 on my checks by mistake anymore). The question that maintains the top spot in my New Year's Evolution list is 'What have you achieved today?'

It's time to shed the old crap like the skin of a rattlesnake in the spring. As we enter 2010, it's time to kick mediocrity square in the ass and introduce the new styles to the public!

I cannot wait! Here's to the future!
Stay tuned.

Been a minute since I said anything on here. For those of you who haven't followed the exploits of the Next 100 movement, you're missing out! To those of you who are NOT feeling the summer buzz right now, it means that you're NOT getting on your game!

To those of the Next 100 Movement, you already know the maxim: If you want to see something REALLY new, you know that you've GOT to make it yourself! The days of following the bad business models ARE OVER! As I have said, my business models don't do catwalks... Yet we're the ones who are expected to support a failed fashion!

Come on, indie creators out there... Join the NEW INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT that IS The NEXT 100--- The Next 100 upcoming creators that plan to shake the industry simply by giving the people ORIGINAL CONCEPTS!! That's it. No cult. No money to join. No hassle.

Simply get on your game and create.

[link]

Since the news first broke concerning the Diamond/CBIA/ComicPRO fiasco, I've been racking my brain over the entire ordeal, either here or on my blog, [link], and read the comments that have been sent. I greatly appreciate those comments, because in the process of reading them, a little light went off in the grey matter....

'They say they want you successful/ but then they make it stressful/ when you start keeping pace, they start changing up the tempo...'

This line is a great example of what's going on with many of us trudging through the trenches, looking to not necessarily change the industry, but to secure our natural and rightful place in it. By creating such harsh restrictures, they shoot themselves in the foot by re-creating the very conditions that started the distributor wars in the first place! The medium is dying out, slow and sure... And this began well before the economic crisis! Marvel and DC are cool, but there's more out there than capes and tights!

Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, to those of you who feel the same as I do, and are willing to support such a stand, I ask you not to consider the NEXT 100 as a mere title, but as a platform for the NEW INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT!

For those of you who don't think you see anything in this, I say: keep looking.
To those of you who sincerely want real change, we've got alot of work to do.

Allow me to re-introduce myself... My name is Rodney Blackwell AKA the infamous RodBuddah. I make comics.

WELCOME TO THE ERA OF THE NEXT 100.

Maaaaan... If anybody out there has been keeping up with the comic industry lately, then you know that things have intensified! Independent creators are viewed as mutants under the Mutant Registration Act, according to the Comic Book Industry Alliance. Apparently, Diamond issued a new statement saying that, along with their increased benchmark, that they will REFUSE any publisher who cannot meet the benchmark within 60 days of a title's release! In other words, if you can't sell enough books to meet the monetary benchmark they set, then your first issue could become your first failure!
On top of that, Robert Scott of the CBIA mentions that indie publishers that sell DIRECT to the people instead of through the illustrious Diamond-listed retailers are crippling the market and therefore should be considered a detriment to the existing consumer pool.

Oh yeah, the final straw is Mr. Scott's recommendation that indy publishers that sell outside the mainstream online should be fought by the 'brick and mortar' retailers tooth and nail!

This is a joke, right?

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to re-introduce myself.


Recently, those of us here at PLANET GRIFFIN have been talking alot about some of
the recent developments taking place around the comics industry (the most interesting being the changes with Diamond and the recent re-emergence of Cold Cut distro, Haven.)

Moreover, the question that's irritating me is: Where are the new storytellers?
The whole debate of why the industry is shrinking seems to hang on this question...

So now, it's time that we begin entering the era of the NEXT 100--- For those that keep up with my blog (thank you, readers!) knows what I'm talking about.

To all my fellow Deviants, I invite you all to come visit the blogspot and toss in your 2 cents, opinions, hatemail, rants and raves, etc. Click the link and off you go:

[link]

I need feedback on this to better understand how the storytelling question is being addressed and handled.